Ancient virus could be responsible for human ability to think

New studies suggest that a gene believed to be responsible for human thought could have been created thanks to an ancient viral infection

By Sean Keach, Digital Technology and Science Editor

6th February 2018, 10:23 am

Updated: 7th February 2018, 2:07 pm

AN ancient virus could be responsible for human consciousness, giving you the ability to think for yourself.

New research has linked a human gene responsible for conscious thought to a virus that was spread in the early days of humanity.

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We all have consciousness, but explaining why and how our thoughts occur has always been a scientific mystery

Two papers published in the Cell journal discuss the origins of the Arc gene, which packages up genetic information and sends it around nerve cells in little virus-style capsules.

These packages of information are believed to be critical to how our nerves communicate, and could be responsible for our thoughts.

Elissa D. Pastuzyn, who authored one of the studies, said: "Evolutionary analysis indicates that Arc is derived from a vertebrate lineage of Ty3/gypsy retrotransposons, which are also ancestors to retroviruses."

It's believed that between 40 per cent and 80 per cent of the human genome was developed thanks to ancient viruses.

What is a virus?

Here's what you need to know...

A virus is a small, infectious "agent"

It can only replicate inside the living cells of other creatures, like humans

Viruses can infect anything that lives, including plants, animals and bacteria

There are believed to be millions of different types of virsuses around the world

They're so common that they're believed to be the most abundant biological entity

Viruses can spread in lots of ways, including through body contact and exposure to infected blood

Some antiviral drugs exist, but antibiotics have no effect on a virus

Getty - Contributor

Our bodies have changed thanks to ancient viruses countless times over the years

Unlike bacteria, which simply live in the body, viruses make active changes to your cells, injecting their own genetic code.

This can often be entirely useless – and sometimes causes harm, including through the reproduction of more viruses – but occasionally we end up with useful modifications.

Monkeys have been cloned for the first time in China taking scientists one step closer to potentially cloning humans

And it seems an ancient virus may have given rise to all human thought – thanks to the Arc gene.

Pastuzyn says that the virus was "repurposed during evolution, to mediate intercellular communication in the nervous system".

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James Ashley, who authored one of the studies, said: "The neuronal gene Arc is essential for long-lasting information storage in the mammalian brain, mediates various forms of synaptic plasticity, and has been implicated in neurodevelopmental disorders."

He adds that mutations in the gene have been "linked to autism and schizophrenia", which suggests that Arc has a pivotal role to play in how we perceive and react to the world around us.